Bloody Eight Blow'd Up!

Early this morning, construction workers imploded the Palace Hotel. Located at Canal and Claiborne, its heyday was the 1950’s. By the time of the levee breaks after Hurricane Katrina, it was renting rooms by the hour. While several contractors had tried to get funding to renovate it, years of neglect had taken too large a toll.

I joined with a couple hundred intrepid citizens for the early morning event. I’m posting here the series of pictures that I took. The first is what the building looked like after the majority of the façade and internal construction materials were removed.

There was a loud crack and then several smaller explosions right at 8 o’clock. This next picture is as it starts to come down.

All that is left is smoke.

I took the final pictures as we all started to walk away.

I marked the occasion with a quart and half of my version of Bloody Marys. I use V-8 juice instead of plain tomato juice, so I call them Bloody Eights. This is the single serving version.

Bloody Eight

1 tsp horseradish

1 to 2 oz of vodka

Ice

2 dashes Tabasco (I prefer the Chipolte Pepper Sauce)

1 oz lime juice

2 dashes Lea & Perrins Worcestershire

1 5.5 fluid oz can of V8

Celery seed and kosher salt

Use a lime wedge to dampen the rim of the glass. Roll it in a mix of celery seed and kosher salt.

Combine horseradish and vodka, mix well. Add ice, Tabasco, lime juice, and Worcestershire. Pour into rim salted glass. Fill remainder of glass with V-8. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge, celery stalk and pickled okra and green beans. Might as well have a salad with your sipping!